Despite Ranked Win, UTSA Run-Ruled Twice in Series Loss to #20 DBU

The Roadrunners dropped their second non-conference series of the season after getting run-ruled to bookend the series against the DBU Patriots. UTSA was outscored 39-22 across the series, giving up big innings in each game. While the Roadrunners were able to answer back in game two with their second ranked win this season, they are still left with plenty of areas to clean up. We break it all down in this week’s full count recap. 

STRIKES

A good response… 

Looking to prove that they could play with some of the best, the opposite took place Friday night. While lobsided losses sting, it is always encouraging to see a team respond the next game. The Roadrunners did just that by giving the DBU Patriots their first home loss of 2025. 

From the fourth inning on Saturday, UTSA scored in every inning to help them score fifteen runs in the win. They scored more than one run in four of those innings and responded both times that the Patriots scored runs. 

The pitching certainly must be worked out, and there are plenty of questions we will get to. From the offensive standpoint it was a weekend that saw UTSA not be shut out and scoring first two out of three games.

That last stat may not hold up well considering those were both games UTSA was run-ruled; However, it is something to build on that the ability to score early is there. 

XBH… 

UTSA did a nice job finding extra base hits this weekend. Leading the way in that category was senior right fielder, James Taussig. Taussig hit four home runs across the weekend, with a three-home run game in Saturday’s 15-11 win. 

The other 2/3rds of UTSA’s outfield also had a big weekend. Mason Lytle and Andrew Detlefsen added to their RBI totals throughout the weekend. They currently lead the team in that category, with 31 and 33 RBIs respectively. If both can continue the productive output, it could be a race to the finish on who takes over the program single season RBI record. 

The current record is 79, set by friend of the pod Trent Lockwood in 2008. 

Catcher Broc Parmer also had his best weekend of the season (where he also saw the most innings up to this point) with three doubles in two games. 

(Improving) Defense…

This is still a defensive configuration that isn’t perfect. It was improved this weekend and the Roadrunners put together a pair of clean games Friday and Saturday. Even in Sunday’s loss that saw two errors, there were web-gem plays in the field. 

The Roadrunners also turned three double plays across the weekend. While that number could certainly be higher, and the pitching staff needs to generate more ground balls it is a welcomed site to see both the defense getting cleaned up and double play opportunities with conference play around the corner. 

BALLS…

Big Inning Woes… 

Four times this weekend, DBU had an inning where they scored five runs or more. Two of those times those big innings occurred in the middle innings. 

My takeaway from the nine-run inning Friday night was a few things. This is a very good DBU lineup. They have the offense and weekend starter potential to make a deep post-season run. 

Royse also struggled Friday night to hit the 50-50 pitches and was struggling hitting the strike zone at the knees. With a veteran lineup like the Patriots’, this combination allows them to sit patiently while Royse is forced to come more inside. When he must do that, they punish him. 

On Sunday, DBU used two six run innings to propel them to the second run rule win of the weekend, both games scoring fourteen runs. Against a team like this, that is backbreaking. Even in Saturday’s loss, DBU put up a five-run inning and eleven runs total. 

We know that a big question mark coming into the season with UTSA’s pitching is depth. Big innings can kill teams without a lot of depth. 

This Patriot’s squad will be one of the best teams UTSA faces this season. The important part now is to try and piece together what went wrong on the mound this weekend and clean it up. 

Starters Struggling…

This could almost be a 1b with the first “Ball”. Pitching depth goes together with what your starters can do. Anytime you can get 5+ innings pitched from your weekend guys, it’s going to help your bullpen, and your depth. 

This was the worst weekend collectively for the UTSA starters this season. Of the 39 runs allowed, twenty-two runs came from the starting pitching. 

That is how many runs UTSA scored all weekend. 

In terms of innings, the three starters combined for 7.2 innings pitched. DBU’s starter on Friday night went seven innings by himself. 

I don’t mean to be Mr. Negative. But this was the biggest test for the UTSA pitching staff to date, and they failed. 

Now, the season is still young. This is still a team that has won 16 games through the first 22 games of the season. There have been bad losses before, and Coach Hallmark’s squad has cleaned it up. 

The next opportunities will be a Tuesday road game against Texas and the opening weekend of conference play against Charlotte. 

THE PAY OFF PITCH…

At time of writing, the Texas Longhorns are ranked #11 by D1Baseball. Texas currently has a sixteen-game winning streak going, and that could be seventeen by Tuesday’s night matchup. 

(Texas and Mississippi State were tied 1-1 at time of writing)

The Roadrunners had their double-digit winning streak snapped on a Tuesday, could UTSA return the favor to Big Brother? 

Texas made headlines this offseason when they were able to poach Jim Schlossnagle from in-state rival Texas A&M. The last two seasons, Coach Hallmark and UTSA went 1-1 against Schlossnagle’s now former team Texas A&M. 

Texas also is the new home of past UTSA reliever and stopper Ruger Riojas. Riojas hit the transfer portal and made the trip up I-35 this offseason. In six appearens, Riojas is 3-0 with a 3.40 ERA, 14.1 innings pitched, 14 strikeouts, 4 walks, and an opponent BA of .222. 

This one has plenty of storylines. 

All-time, UTSA is just 6-26 against Texas. Only eight of those matchups have been at the Bird Bath, and none since 2008. The last time UTSA beat Texas was 2019, with the Roadrunners winning 10-7. This will be just the second time Coach Hallmark faces Texas while at UTSA. 

It is an opportunity for UTSA to get their third ranked win of the season (perhaps their first top ten) and cleanse the bad taste from this weekend, before conference play starts. 

The Longhorns have eight players with double digit RBIs. The Roadrunners have seven, with Lytle and Detlefsen carrying the weight as previously mentioned. 

Now, it is worth mentioning that while it is early and has its faults, Texas’ RPI is 18 with a SOS of 178 while UTSA is at 104 with a 234 SOS. 

But there is a reason they play the game. The most important aspect for UTSA is get out to a fast start. At this point in the season, SEC schools are more focused on conference play than midweeks. If they can score quickly and chain some runs together it could be another big Tuesday win against an SEC school. 

Make sure to tune on Tuesday at 6:30 PM to catch this one. It will be on the SECN+, like the A&M game. You can get access to this through the ESPN app by authenticating with a cable provider or YTTV, HULU Live, etc. 

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